County park proposed for public access to Red Mill Pond

A 2-acre county park may be created on Red Mill Pond to provide public access to the pond and improve chances for a state grant to help repair the dam next year.

The project would provide multiple benefits if it all comes together, said Stephen May, Lenawee County drain commissioner. There is currently no public access on the pond on the north of Tecumseh. Creating a public access site would be a benefit to the community and could open the way to a grant to fund part of an estimated $315,000 dam repair project planned for next year.

May explained the plan to the Lenawee County Parks Commission on Nov. 20. Commission members agreed to talk with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources about adding a 2-acre access site as a county park. The parks commission recommended to the county commission that May be authorized to represent the county in pursuing the park proposal.

A site on Bishop Reed Drive near the Tecumseh Masonic Lodge is being considered for the public access, he said. It is currently owned by an Ohio contractor following a foreclosure on a company that started a residential development at Red Mill Pond. The development failed after 2008.

The plan is for the DNR to purchase the 2-acre site, said May. The DNR prefers to have a local government agency hold title to the property and operate it as a park, he said. Grant money would be available to improve the property as a public access to the pond. Having a public access, he said, would give Red Mill Pond a higher priority in competition for grants to repair the dam.A dam repair project is now scheduled for next fall.